Star Hill Farm Whisky is named after the company’s 1,100-acre farm that is home to the Maker's Mark Distillery. It is the company’s first wheat whiskey. Marker’s Mark Bourbon and its other variations all share a single mashbill: 70% corn, 16% soft red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley. Star Hill Farm Whisky is a blend of two mashbills: one with 70% soft red winter wheat and 30% malted barley, and the other with 100% malted soft red winter wheat. With the release of Star Hill Farm Whisky, the company is also highlighting that Maker’s Mark Distillery is “only bourbon distillery to achieve B Corp Certification in Kentucky and the first distillery globally to achieve certification from Regenified, the leading regenerative certification company.” Although the bottle doesn’t feature an age statement, the label indicates that the whiskey was put in barrels 7-8 years ago, suggesting it is likely a blend of whiskey within that range.

The whiskey embarks with an incredible aroma. Sweet and fruity scents of melted caramel, raspberry, red velvet cake, and strawberry cream come together spectacularly. They are joined by powdered funnel cake, anchored by scents of baking spice and light leather. The strawberry cream and funnel cake are the stars here, but they don’t do it all on their own. When all of the scents come together, the aroma truly sings.

Dark raspberry is the driving force of the whiskey’s palate, bringing with it flavors of blackberry, vanilla extract, and dark chocolate. It’s quite flavorful and surprisingly potent, living up to every one of its proof points (and then some). A buttery mouthfeel develops mid-palate, most likely thanks to the malted aspect of its mashbill. A nutty note can be tasted from here, and while somewhat out of place, it helps add dimension to an already interesting and delicious pour.

The whiskey’s finish takes the sip in a wildly different direction. Astringent oak dominates, grinding this whiskey to a halt. Hints of sweet oak and raspberry try to emerge, but they are no match for a lingering dry oak note. Leather, allspice, and charred oak round out an imperfect finish that seeks to offer contrast, but does so in a far too strong manner. But not all is lost. Lingering notes of red wine, blackberry, and sweet charred oak make up for some of what faded; they just arrive far too late.

Maker’s Mark remains one of the few companies that is extremely hesitant to expand its product line beyond a few core expressions and limited edition releases. This was due to Bill Samuels Sr.’s wish to remain focused on the company’s core product. However, the company and Samuels’ offspring have found creative ways around this by harnessing the flavoring effects of stave finishing, and releasing their core product at different ages and proofs.

Star Hill Farm Whisky, therefore, is a monumental shift for the company. Eliminating corn from the whiskey and doubling down on wheat (which the Maker’s Mark brand is synonymous with) makes a ton of sense. Given bourbon drinkers’ continued interest in wheated bourbon (thanks, of course, to Pappy Van Winkle bourbons) and the general lack of wheat whiskeys or even wheated bourbons on the market, Maker’s Mark has found a place that, because of their pedigree and size, they can carve out and dominate.

As a result of the company’s self-imposed mandate regarding the release of new Maker’s Mark products, the shift to a wheat whiskey allows them to offer a radically different flavor profile than their core expression. Compared to the standard Maker’s Mark, Star Hill Farm Whisky provides much more aromatic spice (cinnamon and allspice) and robust fruit (raspberry, strawberry, blackberry), against vanilla extract, charred oak, and dark chocolate; all without the help of stave finishing. The whiskey stands out not only from the standard Maker’s Mark Bourbon but among the other few wheat whiskeys on the market as well.  

Maker’s Mark has done well over the years, keeping their price points steady on the majority of their standard products, but also their limited edition releases are some of the lowest priced products from a major Kentucky distillery. Star Hill Farm Whisky continues that trend, pricing this release at $100. The whiskey falls into a middle ground of being special and limited, but also the company needs it to be accessible enough to ensure its future.

If the company views Star Hill Farm Whisky as a new direction for the Maker’s Mark brand, pricing it at $200, like every other Kentucky limited release, doesn’t make a lot of sense. To help ensure a healthy future for their burgeoning new brand, it needed to be priced reasonably and its availability limited just enough to be actively sought after (and found), thereby spurring that extra layer of desire from whiskey drinkers. Although the early months of this release have shown that few stores initially received them, hopefully, more will arrive, and future releases will settle to a more attainable number for the masses. But when one can be found, $100 is a very reasonable price, making it an above-average value for this whiskey.

Star Hill Farm Whisky is a bold new Maker’s Mark product for a new generation of whiskey drinkers - a reboot of sorts for the 21st Century. While it shares some similarities with the standard Maker’s Mark Bourbon, it is also refreshingly adventurous and contemporary. It respects what came before it but spins and tweaks it to stand out in an overcrowded whiskey space. The majority of the sip is an invigorating change of pace, offering robust flavors, but using so much wheat in its mashbill has its drawbacks. That is evident in the whiskey’s finish, which features much more astringent oak than desired despite including so much malted wheat grain in its mashbill. Though it hampers what is otherwise a great pour, it’s not detrimental to the point of derailing the whole sip. This new product line is likely to be perceived as more artisanal and less mass-produced, which will reflect well on the company. I look forward to seeing how the company can refine this product in future iterations because, as it stands, this is one of the most exciting releases from a major Kentucky distillery this year.